Air passengers wary of pilotless planes – even if they lead to lower fares

Air passengers wary of pilotless planes – even if they lead to lower fares

Pilotless planes would save airlines $35bn (£27bn) a year and could lead to substantial fare cuts – if passengers were able to stomach the idea of remote-controlled flying, according to new research.

Full-size cargo planes will be airborne without pilots by 2025, according to the report by the investment bank UBS, but it predicts it will take until the middle of the century before passengers have enough confidence to board pilotless planes.

The savings for the airlines could be huge, UBS said. It estimated that pilots cost the industry $31bn a year, plus another $3bn in training, and that fully automated planes would fly more efficiently, saving another $1bn a year in fuel.
Read More...